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EXCLUSIVE: Four More Shots Please's Lisa Ray talks shooting intimate scenes, recreating Rang Rang with Bani J
Lisa Ray, who plays Samara Kapoor in Four More Shots Please, spoke EXCLUSIVELY to Pinkvilla about shooting for intimate scenes and the recreation of her iconic track, Rang Rang Mere, with Bani J in Season 2. Read below for Lisa's full interview.
One of the most exciting Indian web series which recently hit the OTT platform and has become the guilty pleasure show that we are all craving for amidst the quarantine period had to be Four More Shots Please S2. After a successful first season, S2 was jam-packed with more trials, tribulations and plenty of men for the four female leads - Damini, Umang, Anjani and Sidhi. For Umang, in particular, we see the character give up everything to be by the side of the love of her life, Samara, who has to come to terms with her sexuality being out in the open while suffering from bipolar disorder.
In what is an extremely complex yet loveable relationship, fans have been rooting for #Umara since the get-go! There's a sense of normalcy given to same-sex couple which is gradually become a norm in Indian entertainment content. In an EXCLUSIVE interaction with Pinkvilla, when we asked Lisa Ray about being a part of such a show that is delivering such a strong message, the actress stated, "I have played a lesbian in two films previously - The World Unseen, set in the apartheid-era South Africa and I Can’t Think Straight. Both films were directed by Shamim Sarif and are celebrated even today. Of course, I don’t label my characters - as an actor I’ve simply taken on the role of wonderfully complex women."
"That’s how I approached Samara as well. Let’s face it, the feedback I receive on #Umara is that the relationship is so beautifully normalised and not played up as anything but two complex, sensitive people trying to make their relationship work," Lisa continued. Furthermore, we asked her about shooting the intimate sequences with Bani J in S2 and whether there were any apprehensions, to which Ray revealed, "It happened very naturally. Bani is a wonderfully warm and sensitive woman and a terrific actor. She was completely focused on making Umang truthful and grounded and on making the #Umara dynamic work."
One of the most heartwarming #Umara moments in S2 came during the sangeet ceremony when Samara and Umang recreated one of Lisa's iconic songs with Rahul Khanna, Rang Rang Mere, from Bollywood Hollywood. Sharing her excitement over the recreation, the 48-year-old actress gushed, "Fantastic. It was a complete surprise. Rangita [Pritish Nandy, Producer] played it for me on the set between shots and it took me a while to register this would be the sangeet song. I’m so happy it’s gotten new life," and added, "I want to give a special shoutout to Rangita for dragging me onto the show. We have tried to work together for years and I’m happy that Four More Shots Please is the project that made it happen. She believed in bringing this storyline to Indian audiences and so I believe we should all acknowledge her determination, guts and vision."
Lastly, Lisa had a terrific reply to give as to why Four More Shots Please is a must-watch series for all. "If you ask me, it’s the fact these women are fallible, their lives are messy, but they have great humanity and dreams and support each other. It’s the emotion and the fabulous styling by Aastha [Sharma] if you’re into that," Ray concluded.
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